The Tate galleries, that's Tate Britain and Tate Modern, have an exciting range of exhibitions planned for 2016. Tate Britain has a ticketed exhibition of works by Frank Auerbach and Tate Modern is showing a pop-art exhibition, sculptures by Alexander Caulder plus the new Turbine Hall exhibit by Abraham Cruzvillegas.
Tate Britain - British Art at its Best
Open until 13th March 2016, is a ticketed exhibition of paintings and drawings by British artist, Frank Auerbach. Auerbach is often compared to artists such as Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon because of the powerful themes in his work and this show offers a valuable insight into Auerbach's work.
Another ticketed show at Tate Britain is Artist and Empire: Facing Britain's Imperial Past, on show until 10th April 2016. Featuring art associated with the British Empire, the display spans a period from the 16th to the 21st century. Looking at themes such as slavery, war and conquest, Artist and Empire looks at how artists from Britain and around the world respond to the conflicts and tragedies of the Empire.
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Free Shows at Tate Britain
Free shows at the gallery include Susan Philipsz: War Damaged Musical Instruments on show until 3rd April 2016. More free exhibitions include Vanilla and Concrete (until19 June 2016) and David Tremlett Drawing for Free Thinking (19th September 2011 – 31st December 2016).
The free BP Spotlight displays carry on throughout the year highlighting the work of artists such as Anwar Jalal Shemza, David Hockney, Jo Spence, Tracey Emin, Francis Bacon, Gustav Metzger and many others.
More Shows at Tate Britain in 2016
Later in the year Tate Britain will present ticketed exhibitions Conceptual Art in Britain: 1964–1979 (12th April – 29th August 2016); Painting with Light (11th May – 25th September 2016 and Paul Nash from 26th October 2016 – 5th March 2017.
For many visitors to Tate Britain the highlight of the year will be the Turner Prize exhibition from 27th September 2016 to 8th January 2017. Established in 1984, the Turner Prize art award is awarded each year to a British artist. Four shortlisted artists will show their work at Tate Britain before the winner is announced in December.
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Tate Modern - A Close Look at Modern Art
Tate Modern's current show, The Ey Exhibition: The World Goes Pop, ends on 24th January so buy your tickets quickly. Tate tells us “This is pop art, but not as you know it.”
Tate Modern is also showing a ticketed exhibition of sculptures by Alexander Calder, Alexander Calder: Performing Sculpture, on show until 3rd April.Known as the inventor of the mobile, sculptures that move of their own accord, Calder initially trained as an engineer. The display brings together key works from various museums.
Free Exhibitions at Tate Modern
Tate Modern is also offering several free displays showcasing the work of artists such as Rebecca Horn; Gerhard Richter; Mark Rothko; Sam Francis; Brett Weston and many others. If it's sculpture that interests you then take a look at Everyday Alchemy Contemporary Sculpture or the zany sculptures by Nicholas Hlobo who takes seemingly unrelated materials such as satin ribbon and the inner tubes of car tyres and makes intriguing tactile sculptures and drawings.
Perhaps the most striking of all the Tate Modern displays is Abraham Cruzvillegas's Empty Lot installed in the Turbine Hall. Cruzvillegas is known for creating sculptures using different materials and this installation is a large-scale geometric sculpture created with scaffolding and a grid of wooden planters filled with soil from various parks in London. The work is unpredictable. It's a work in progress on show until 3rd April 2016 – although nothing is planted in the soil, it is regularly watered and lit by lamps, so anything could happen!
More About Tate Britain and Tate Modern
Full information about exhibitions and displays at Tate galleries is available on their website. Additional articles on Infobarrel discuss Tate galleries and some of the artists mentioned above.
- Alexander Calder Mobiles
- Dulwich Picture Gallery Presents Nash, Nevinson, Spencer, Gertler, Carrington, Bomberg - A Crisis of Brilliance 1908-1922
- 7 Best Museums to Visit in London
- London for Free: Museums and Galleries
